I ♥ the Replacements

In the early 80’s as the Replacements were hitting their stride, I was distracted:  by marriage, work and play in NY, the dawn of CD’s, the rise of Prince, REM and Run DMC and, I’m embarrassed to say, the Pet Shop Boys.  My bad. 

With no radio play to hook me and informed only by a rock press I had come to mistrust, I lumped the Replacements not incorrectly with Dinosaur Jr, the Pixies and Pavement, writing the whole lot off as too loud and punky to matter to me. And so I would have missed the boat forever except for the time warp of iTunes, where everything old is eternally available for reappraisal.  Thank you, Steve Jobs.

Here for your bemusement (if you loved them all along) or your own belated discovery are the tunes I have come to love from a band that has become one of my favorites. 

I Will Dare – As elemental as “Louie, Louie” but more clearly enunciated.  “How smart are you? How dumb am I?” 

Bastards of Young – This is actually the kind of music I thought they made: rude, loud, with a searing guitar.  I just like it better than I knew. 

Achin to Be – A reminder that a country twang jangles through some of their best songs. 

Swinging Party – A swaying tune on which you could mistake the Mats for Billy Bragg, to the credit of both. 

And because Mats main man Paul Westerberg is still recording, one from him, too:  Love You in the Fall. 

Turn it up, indeed.